The perfect summer holiday read for fans of Cathy Bramley and Phillipa Ashley Return to Love Heart Lane for friendship, romance and a community who will be be there for you no matter what… Isla and Drew Allaway appear to have the perfect life – a strong marriage, two beautiful children and their picture-perfect home, Foxglove Farm. But, new mum Isla is struggling. She loves her little … struggling. She loves her little family but with Drew working all hours on the farm, Isla’s lonely.
When she discovers that Drew has been keeping secrets from her, Isla has to face losing the home they all love.
Can the Love Heart Lane community pull together once more to help save Foxglove Farm? And can Isla save her home…and her marriage?
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Favorite Quotes:
I’m absolutely telling you my seventy-year-old gran is on Tinder and probably has a more active sex life than all of us put together…
‘I’ve got a match,’ squealed Rona. ‘Oh my … he’s got no teeth and looks like he would be better fitted in a police line-up … look!’ ‘I told you, you were swiping the wrong way … let’s have a look,’ chuckled Martha. ‘He’s not too bad, maybe a little overweight, bald and probably has his own teeth – well, the ones he has … well worth a date, I say.’
My Review:
This was a more tense and angsty read than I was expecting, but thankfully a lively and feisty rolling stone of a grandmother and the unusual addition of an alpaca herd was on hand to provide periodic scenarios of comic relief from the marital and financial strife. Following a tragedy, Isla discovered that her husband Drew had been keeping devastating secrets, which yielded rather dire results and significant hurdles which caused the couple to struggle with nearly every aspect of their lives.
The original storylines were active, relatable, cleverly creative, and unpredictable while the writing style was easy to follow and engaging. I enjoy Ms. Barlow’s characters and writing style so much I plan to dive right back in with the next installment in this series and her latest release of Clover Cottage. I’m hoping the cute little alpacas make a repeat appearance.
Inspiring, heartwarming, and sweet!
Foxglove Farm is an emotive, charming story that takes us to the quaint English countryside and into the lives of Isla and Drew Allaway who after years of marriage find themselves drifting apart and struggling to keep both their farm and their relationship afloat.
The writing is sincere and light. The characters are genuine, hardworking, and supportive. And the plot is a touching, dramatic tale about life, love, family, friendship, community, taking chances, starting over, and happiness.
Overall, Foxglove Farm is an uplifting, humorous read that does a beautiful job of reminding us just how important communication, trust, honesty, forgiveness, and unconditional love are to the success of a marriage. And even though it is the second book in the Love Heart Lane series, it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone novel if so desired.
Foxglove Farm returns readers to Love Heart Lane, and I was so happy to be back, catching up with some of my favorite characters whom have become like family to me!
Isla and Drew have always appeared to have a charmed life. They have been in love forever. They have beautiful children and a beautiful home. However, they have hit quite a bump in the road. Isla is a new mom, and she is sleep deprived. She is adjusting to having two children, and her adventure-loving grandmother, Martha, has returned. Then, Drew is acting completely out of the ordinary, snapping at her over little things. On top of that, she discovers he is keeping a secret… they are in danger of losing their beloved home if they don’t find a miracle to save it. Just when things couldn’t possibly get any worse, they do. This is when the story gets really good!
Barlow does an amazing job of making this so much more than just a book about a struggling marriage. It is a book about a community coming together to help one another. It is a little village I would love to be a part of!!!!
While I loved watching Drew and Isla finding their way back to one another, I loved watching them discover new things about each other and coming to respect and support each other as well.
As with the first book, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the other characters as well. Martha, Isla’s grandmother, was hysterical. I want to be her when I grow up! It looks like Polly and Rona’s love lives are coming along! If you love a good heartwarming book about friendship, love, and what it means to be a part of a community, then this book is for you!!!!